Brandon Inge to DL; more surgery for Dallas Braden

Brandon Inge was placed on the DL, as expected, with what the A’s are calling a sprained shoulder; it sounds as if the shoulder never actually came out of place on Saturday, though it must have felt like it to Inge, who has dislocated his left shoulder numerous times. Inge thought he had popped it back in, but the A’s doctors determined there was no dislocation, but the sprain is significant enough that he needs to rest the shoulder. Manager Bob Melvin is hopeful that Inge will return when eligible – the move was backdated to Sunday – and knowing Inge, he will be back the instant the medical staff clears him.

It’s bad news, unfortunately, for Dallas Braden, who had hoped to make a few starts in September for the A’s but whose left shoulder has not responded as hoped after surgery in May 2011 to repair the capsule. He will have more surgery; Melvin termed it “exploratory.”

As I have written before, shoulder-capsule repair is not a procedure that has been perfected, unlike elbow ligament replacement. It generally takes quite a lot of time to come back from (see: Johan Santana) and there is no guarantee of a full return. Here’s the main issue: Surgeons must basically guess on how tight to make the shoulder. There is no way to calibrate it. So some shoulders are too tight, some aren’t tight enough. The hope, of course, with any capsule repair is to get the tightness on the money the first time around. I don’t know if that’s what’s going on with Braden, but I have been told by medical experts that generally speaking, the tightness issue is the big question mark when it comes to shoulder capsules. That’s why Rich Harden tried to avoid capsule repair for four years and just pitched with it torn.

With Inge out of action, Josh Donaldson is here and he will be the everyday third baseman; the team prefers Adam Rosales in a super-sub utility role. Donaldson’s defense is better than the last time he was here – he has mostly been playing third at Triple-A Sacramento – and he’s batting .335 there. So far, he hasn’t hit much in the bigs, but Melvin said today that he hopes that after a few callups, including previous experience this year, things will click for Donaldson in the same way they have for Chris Carter.

As for Donaldson, he’s surprised even to get another shot with the A’s. He figured with the team playing well and everyone contributing, he was not going to be in the plans. He’s been at Sacramento three years, he’s out of options next year, and it’s clear he was starting to get a little frustrated about a career that was stagnating. Well, here’s his chance: If Donaldson wants to stick, he needs to follow Carter’s example. So far, Donaldson and Michael Taylor have been the two most prominent Sacramento players who haven’t been able to translate their Sacramento success to the big leagues.

Donaldson said that, like before, defense will be his top priority – he does not want to cost the pitching staff runs. And he knows this time that if he is not performing as he’d like at the plate, there are plenty of other guys now who will pick up the slack. He doesn’t need to press, as he clearly has done in the past. Maybe that will help.

Melvin said Seth Smith (hamstring) has been running for three days and he’s swinging the bat freely. He’s expected to come off the DL when eligible Saturday.

Jonny Gomes is providing autographs to those who donate to a fund for the families of Petaluma’s Little League World Series-bound team. Little League International provides all expenses for the players and coaches, but any families who wish to attend have to fend for themselves – Gomes, who grew up in Petaluma, said he knows his own family never could have afforded to go. He wants to make sure that any immediate family who wants to go to Pennsylvania can do so.

Go to Petalumanational.org to make a donation, and get Gomes’ autograph in the process.

He’ll be providing the team with lots of equipment when they return (he cannot right now because his athletic company is not one of those affiliated with the LLWS, but the LLWS sponsors will equip the players for the series). And he and the A’s will host the Petaluma team at the Coliseum at some point.